🇱🇺 Road to Basel: Luxembourg

Road to Basel: Luxembourg

Road to Basel: Luxembourg! As the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel approaches, we continue our daily spotlight on this year’s contestants. Today, we focus on Luxembourg.​

Photo: Massen Photography

Laura Thorn

Laura Thorn is a 25-year-old Luxembourgish singer and music educator from Esch-sur-Alzette. Trained in piano, cello, and dance from a young age, she earned a master’s degree in music theory, pedagogy, and pop singing from the Institut Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie in Namur, Belgium. Thorn currently teaches at the Conservatoire de Musique in Esch-sur-Alzette. Her musical style blends elements of soul, jazz, cabaret, and musical theatre. ​

“La Poupée monte le son”

Luxembourg’s Eurovision entry, “La PoupĂ©e monte le son” (English: “The Doll Turns Up the Sound”), is a French-language pop song composed by Christophe Houssin, Julien Salvia, and Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal. The song serves as a modern homage to France Gall’s 1965 Eurovision-winning entry “PoupĂ©e de cire, poupĂ©e de son,” reflecting on themes of empowerment and self-expression. A revamped version of the song was released on 18 March 2025.

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Luxembourg Song Contest 2025

Luxembourg’s national selection for Eurovision 2025 was conducted through the Luxembourg Song Contest 2025. The competition featured seven entries competing in a televised final held on 25 January 2025 at the Rockhal in Esch-sur-Alzette. The winner was determined by a combination of votes from eight international jury groups and an international public vote. Laura Thorn’s “La PoupĂ©e monte le son” emerged victorious, securing her spot to represent Luxembourg in Basel.

Here are the full results:

  1. Laura Thorn, “La PoupĂ©e monte le son
  2. Zero Point Five, “Ride
  3. Luzac, “Je danse
  4. Rythmic Soulwave, “Stronger
  5. One Last Time, “Gambler’s Song
  6. Mäna, “Human Eyes
  7. Rafa Ela, “No Thank You
Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest

Luxembourg has a storied history in the Eurovision Song Contest, participating 38 times since its debut in 1956. The country has won the contest five times: in 1961 (Jean-Claude Pascal‘s “Nous les amoureux”), 1965 (France Gall‘s “PoupĂ©e de cire, poupĂ©e de son”), 1972 (Vicky Leandros‘ “Après toi”), 1973 (Anne-Marie David‘s “Tu te reconnaĂ®tras”, and 1983 (Corinne Hermès‘ “Si la vie est cadeau”). After a 31-year hiatus, Luxembourg returned to the contest in 2024.​

A Random Luxembourgish Entry

Reflecting on Luxembourg’s Eurovision history, random.org chose 1971. A very typical song called “Pomme, pomme, pomme” (Apple, apple, apple). In hotpants Monique Melsen sang a very simple song. Monique is one of the few Luxembourgish artists representing Luxembourg. Most of the time Luxembourg chose French or German artists.

Betting Odds

As of now, Laura Thorn’s “La PoupĂ©e monte le son” holds a 30th place in the betting odds in order to win the Eurovision Song Contest. In the odds for the 2nd semifinal however, Laura holds a 9th place. That means there is a serious chance that Luxembourg will, again, reach the final. Let’s wait and see what happens.

We eagerly await the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel and look forward to witnessing Laura Thorn’s performance on the grand stage.​

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Spain joins the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia in taking a similar stance. source: RTVE đź“· EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett

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A jury will shortlist 30 entries to compete in the televised shows early next year. source: Melodifestivalen instagram 🇦🇱 Albania: Elhaida Dani, Albania’s Eurovision 2015 representative is now artistic director of Festivali i KĂ«ngĂ«s 64. She promises a bolder, more modern and “unforgettable” show full of surprises this year. Elhaida revealed a collaboration with renowned songwriters Aida Baraku and Armend Rexhepagiqi as part of the festival’s plans to bring strong entries and restore faith in the national contest. source: revistawho.com. 🇷🇸 Serbia: RTS has officially opened song submissions for Pesma za Evroviziju 2026, Serbia’s national selection for Eurovision. Entries can be sent in until 10 November 2025. After that a selection committee will choose the finalists. The winner will be decided by a combination of jury and public votes (50/50). source: rts.rs. 🇨🇭 CĂ©line Dion Eurovision Rumours Denied Eurovision fans were abuzz with speculation about CĂ©line Dion making an appearance at Eurovision 2025. However, the singer’s team has now debunked those rumours. In a statement via her representatives, Dion clarified that she was “never due to attend, perform, or present” at this year’s contest in Basel. Contrary to reports in French media, CĂ©line was not in Switzerland during Eurovision. She had no plans to participate in the show. In reality, the 1988 Eurovision winner’s sole involvement was a brief pre-recorded video greeting. Claims that she cancelled an appearance due to ill health were “entirely false and potentially damaging”, according to her team. The 57-year-old Canadian superstar – who has been battling stiff person syndrome – urges media to fact-check sensational stories. While Dion has expressed she’d love to return to the Eurovision stage someday, for now her focus remains on her health and recovery. source: news.stv.tv đź“· Eric Salard, Wikimedia Commons 🇦🇹 Eurovision 2026 Participation Update This week marked a key milestone on the road to Eurovision 2026. 15 September 2025 was the deadline for EBU member broadcasters to apply to participate in next year’s contest. Broadcasters that submitted applications now have until mid-December to withdraw without financial penalty. That date coincides with an upcoming EBU vote on Israel’s participation. So far, around twenty countries have already confirmed their intention to compete in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. Several others (such as Belgium and Italy) remain undecided or have not made public statements yet. A few countries, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovakia, have confirmed they will not return in 2026. Absent broadcasters still have the option to join Eurovision 2026, but any withdrawals after the December cutoff could incur a penalty. All eyes are now on the EBU’s General Assembly in December, when final participation numbers and any special conditions (such as those related to Israel) will become clearer. source: eurovoix.com đź“· Donald Trung Quoc Don, Wikimedia Commons 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 Israel’s Participation Sparks Debate The question of Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 has become a hotly debated topic. Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has confirmed it sees “no reason” to withdraw from the contest, stating that Israel intends to remain an important part of this cultural event and that the Eurovision Song Contest should not be politicised. In the UK, the BBC has also weighed in on the issue. Director General Tim Davie acknowledged the concerns raised by other nations but affirmed that the BBC supports the EBU’s approach to handling the situation. He emphasised that Eurovision should be a celebration of music and culture that unites people, not a political battleground, and said the BBC will await the EBU’s decision while continuing to work within its framework. sources: BBC and nu.nl đź“· EBU/BBC RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster, has officially voted to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to participate. The board of directors approved the motion by an absolute majority. This would make Spain the first of the “Big Five” countries to take such a stand. The decision follows earlier calls from Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, who urged RTVE to pull out should Israel remain in the contest, asserting that cultural events should not “whitewash genocide”. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also supported this position. Despite this conditional withdrawal, RTVE declared that its national selection process, Benidorm Fest, will go ahead regardless of the ultimate decision on Eurovision participation. Spain joins the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia in taking a similar stance. source: RTVE đź“· EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett

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